jdhmnovel Chapter 485 Departure! A Long Journey!!! (Page 12)
Chapter 485 Departure! A Long Journey!!! (Page 12)
He stepped into the courtyard.
A familiar scene instantly came into view.
The clean and tidy blue brick floor, and the old pomegranate tree in the corner is still lush and green, casting dappled shadows under the moonlight.
On the stone table in the center of the courtyard, there was still a tea set that Li Zhenzhen had just used.
A notebook about cultivating mental power was spread out next to him.
In the air, besides the scent of the alleyways, there was also a faint, fresh scent of soapberry, a scent that belonged to a young girl, and the delicate fragrance of flowers and plants in the courtyard.
Everything was almost exactly the same as when he left.
It's even cleaner and more orderly, full of life.
Clearly, Li Zhenzhen had taken good care of the place while he was away.
"Instructor, please sit down! Are you tired? I just made some calming tea, it's still warm, please have a sip!" Li Zhenzhen said like a cheerful little sparrow.
He quickly gestured for Lin Qiye to sit down on the stone bench.
She quickly poured him a cup of clear tea.
His eyes were full of admiration and concern. "I felt a slight fluctuation in the space outside the courtyard. I thought I was imagining things, but it really is you back! How did the mission go...?"
She asked cautiously, though she was young,
But she knew that Lin Qiye and his team's missions were extremely dangerous.
Each time he returned, he carried a faint smell of blood and a sense of exhaustion.
Lin Qiye took the teacup; the warmth emanated from the cup.
The subtle aroma of tea soothes the soul.
He took a small sip, and a gentle, soothing force flowed through his body from the tea.
This eased his tense nerves slightly. He didn't explain the harrowing events in Asgard in detail, but simply responded with a curt "Yes."
"Well, it's solved."
Li Zhenzhen obediently didn't ask any more questions, but just looked at the lingering weariness between Lin Qiye's brows.
As if remembering something, she suddenly said, "Oh, right, Instructor! Are you hungry? I learned how to make zha jiang mian (noodles with soybean paste) from Grandma Wang next door a few days ago."
She praised me for doing it so well!
Shall I make you a bowl to try? Or would you like something else? I'll go buy it!
Seeing her busy and genuinely concerned appearance, Lin Qiye felt a warmth in his heart.
This pure, untainted care, free from any self-interest or calculation, became invaluable after the war in the Divine Realm, a war filled with betrayal, conspiracy, and slaughter.
It appears exceptionally precious.
"No need to bother." He put down his teacup, his voice gentle. "I'm not hungry. How's your cultivation going lately? Have you encountered any bottlenecks?"
Hearing the instructor's concern for her cultivation, Li Zhenzhen's eyes lit up even more.
Immediately straighten your back as if you were giving a work report.
They started chattering away: "It's great! Following the methods you and Instructor Cao taught me, my mental control precision has improved a lot!"
Lately... I've been feeling like it's still lacking something, not stable enough..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but extend her finger, a faint yet exceptionally concentrated thread of spiritual energy gathering at its tip.
Several mysterious preliminary shapes were sketched in the air.
Lin Qiye listened quietly, occasionally nodding or pointing out one or two key points.
In the courtyard, the moonlight was like water, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the girl's clear voice mingled with the man's occasional deep responses.
It created a peaceful and warm scene.
It was as if all the turmoil of the outside world, the cruelty of the war of the gods, and the ripples brought about by Odin's fall were isolated outside this small courtyard.
Here, there is only the ordinary warmth of everyday life, and a rare, comforting feeling.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
Lin Qiye's personal communicator, which he had placed on the stone table, suddenly emitted an extremely slight but rapid vibration.
The screen lit up, displaying an encrypted message from headquarters with the highest level of authority—
[Ye Fan: Come to headquarters immediately. Urgent.]
The conciseness of the information made Lin Qiye's gaze freeze instantly.
The gentleness in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by calmness and sharpness.
He put down his teacup and stood up.
Li Zhenzhen also stopped speaking, sensing the change in atmosphere, and looked at him with some worry: "Instructor...?"
"Something's come up at headquarters, I need to go out for a bit." Lin Qiye straightened his collar, his tone returning to its usual calm.
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenzhen quickly waved her hand.
"Instructor, please go and attend to your important matters! Be careful!"
Lin Qiye nodded, took one last look at the quiet courtyard, and strode towards the door.
The figure cast a long shadow in the moonlight and quickly disappeared around the corner of the alley.
...
In the deep underground of the Night Watchers headquarters in Shangjing City, in the highest-level strategic conference room codenamed "Dragon Abyss".
The air here is cold and dry.
It has the faint hum that comes with the operation of precision instruments.
The walls, ceiling, and floor are all made of a special alloy that absorbs sound and blocks all energy detection. A visible, water-like, pale blue energy barrier flows across their surface.
Ensure absolute security and confidentiality here.
In the center of the conference room, seven figures sat quietly beside a huge oval conference table made from a single piece of dark crystal.
Lin Qiye, Cao Yuan, Baili Pangpang, An Qingyu (carrying Jiang Er's metal box), Jialan, Zhang Yun,
And... Sun Wukong, who had been temporarily brought in and seemed not yet fully sober from the effects of the "Forget-Worry Pavilion," was idly picking his ears.
They were the core members of the Nightfall Squad, who had just returned from the war against the gods in Asgard, and an unofficial "special advisor".
Everyone's face still bore a trace of lingering fatigue.
And the somber atmosphere that lingered after the great war. The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn and oppressive, completely out of place with the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
creak-
The heavy alloy doors of the conference room slid open silently.
Ye Fan, draped in the crimson cloak of the Night's Watch Commander-in-Chief,
He strode in. His face still showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and his steps were steady and powerful.
He held in his hand a dark yellow map that looked extremely old and even somewhat tattered.
He walked to the head of the conference table, but instead of sitting down, he placed his hands on the table and slowly scanned everyone present with a gaze that seemed almost tangible.
“Everyone’s here.” His deep, steady voice broke the silence in the room. “Thank you for your hard work on Asgard.”
After a brief opening, he cut straight to the point without any further pleasantries or words of comfort, his tone suddenly becoming extremely serious:
"Odin was killed, Loki fell, and Asgard collapsed completely... This was indeed a major victory, dealing a heavy blow to the Outer Gods and deterring other pantheons with ulterior motives."
“But…” His tone abruptly shifted, his voice striking everyone’s hearts like a hammer blow, “This absolutely does not mean the crisis is over! Quite the opposite…”
Ye Fan's gaze deepened, even carrying an unprecedented heaviness: "The accelerated collapse of an old era often signifies the imminent arrival of a more chaotic and dangerous new era!"
"Odin and Loki's madness, the fall of Asgard,"
This is just the tip of the iceberg! What they reveal...
It is the infiltration and erosion of our world by the forces of Outer Gods.
It has reached an alarming level!
Odin's death was more like a drastic measure, temporarily eliminating a huge malignant tumor.
But it might also...provoke those more terrifying beings lurking deeper within!
His finger slammed heavily on the table: "What we face has never been a threat from a particular pantheon or a particular god!"
We are facing the Great Old Ones, from the depths of the universe, indescribable, chaotic, and feeding on all things! Especially... the 'Cthulhu' mythology!
"Their terror is far beyond your imagination!"
Their arrival,
This will lead to the collapse of all rules of reality, the annihilation of all reason, and the ultimate...end and madness of all things!
"The tragedy of Asgard must never be repeated in Great Xia!" Ye Fan's voice was resolute, filled with unwavering determination. "Therefore, before the true cataclysmic crisis fully erupts..."
We must spare no expense and proceed as quickly as possible.
Enhance the capabilities of our most advanced combat forces and... gain experience in dealing with such an extremely terrifying existence!
His gaze finally settled on Lin Qiye, and he slowly pushed the ancient map in his hand in front of him.
"Following emergency consultations at the headquarters' highest council..."
After consulting with Kunlun Xu, we decided…” Ye Fan’s voice rang clearly in everyone’s ears, “To initiate the highest level… special training for the Nightfall Squad!”
"what?!"
"Training camp?!"
"Us?! The special team still needs intensive training?!"
As soon as Ye Fan finished speaking, several incredulous exclamations rang out in the conference room!
Baili Pangpang almost jumped off his chair.
His round face was filled with astonishment and confusion: "No way, Commander Ye?! We just fought our way back from that hellhole! And we've done such a great service!"
Even if we don't take a long vacation to rest, we should at least have a celebration banquet, right?
Why do we still need to do intensive training?
And the highest level? I've never heard of that before!
Cao Yuan's brows furrowed tightly, and a slight chill ran through him.
An Qingyu pushed up her glasses.
Data streams flashed rapidly on the lens, clearly analyzing the information that might be hidden behind the unfamiliar term "training camp".
Jialan's little face was also full of confusion.
Even Zhang Yun slightly raised his eyelids.
Although Lin Qiye's expression remained calm, a deep sense of surprise flashed in his eyes.
The Nightfall Squad is the sharpest blade of the Great Xia Night Watchmen.
He has always carried out the most difficult tasks independently.
Their strength improvement relies more on actual combat, exploration of ruins, and their own insights.
This is truly an unprecedented first, a "training camp" organized by headquarters and specifically aimed at the "highest level"!
Sun Wukong stopped picking his ears.
With keen eyes, he curiously examined Ye Fan and the map.
He grinned. "Oh? Training camp? Sounds interesting. What kind of training? How do you teach us to beat up those slimy tentacle monsters?"
Ye Fan seemed to have anticipated everyone's reaction.
His expression remained unchanged.
The voice remained steady and powerful: "Precisely because you are a special team, shouldering the heaviest responsibilities and facing the most dangerous enemies..."
That's why this training camp is so necessary!
Regular training and tasks offer limited improvement for you!
The enemy you are about to face is far more terrifying and bizarre than any opponent you have ever faced before! Without targeted, extreme training...
They are simply incapable of meeting future challenges!
His finger pointed to the old map: "Intensive training, not ordinary training."
It involves the Great Xia's top secrets...."